What Am I Gonna Tell Him
by poetrylivemusic
Summary: Braeden has been sick lately and Derek is about to find out why. "What am I gonna tell him?" she stammered, staring off into the distance. "Tell him that you're pregnant." Lydia answered.
1. What Am I Gonna Tell Him

**This took me so long to write guys,like a week. Legit. It caused it so much stress I****'****m glad it****'****s over. You know the drill, I don****'****t own anything..wish I did..blah blah. Also there are like two swears in here that****'****s why it has a T Rating. Anyway enjoy loves! **

Prompt: Braeden has been under the weather a lot lately, Derek is about to find out why.

"Babe!" Derek pleaded as he banged on the door. "Let me in. Are you ok?" he said again in desperation.

She was in the bathroom again. A place she had gravitated to a lot recently. He could hear her sharp intake heaving and the rapid beating of her heart. Derek knew that she was panicking,in pain, and he could do nothing to help.

"Babe." He cautioned lowering his tone, halting the knock on the door. He pressed his ear to the surface and listened for her response.

She was emptying the contents of last night's dinner so violently, Derek wanted to hunt down the delivery guy and rip out his throat…with his teeth. He knew that after this, her sore throat would be back.

The toilet flushed and her heart rate returned to normal and he stepped away from the door when he could decipher that she had finished washing up.

"Brae..are yo-"

The bathroom door swung open with a slow breeze and Braeden slogged past him in a daze, patting his chest twice as she made her way back to bed.

Derek watched her, hunched over in pain shuffling her bare feet across the loft. He wanted so badly to pick her up and walk for her but he had been through this before. He knew not to touch her, especially not her breasts, because she was sore. He knew not to expose her to harsh light or loud noises because her migraines flared up when this happened. He knew that she wouldn't feel like eating anything that looked like food at all, and that he was going to have an extremely long day fighting with her to eat. This was Derek's life and had been for the last month.

On his way to the bed he grabbed a washcloth, ran it under the kitchen faucet and brought it to her.

"Braeden." Derek whispered as softly as he could, dabbing her forehead with the cloth. She was the palest he had ever seen, skin a grayish hue. Her eyes closed, deep circles underneath them appearing darker by the second. "You have to go the doctor. You've been sick for a while and I have no idea how to help you or what's wrong. Braeden… Please. Go." He insisted removing the cloth pressing a feathered kiss to her forehead.

She took a shaky breath and pulled the blanket tighter around her aching body.

"Ok." She strangled out weakly, eyes still closed. She could feel Derek staring at her, sighing in relief but she didn't have the energy to open them as she drifted off into sleep.

When she woke up, he was gone and she was met with the emptiness of the spacious loft with too many windows and too much floorspace.

Sitting up, she noticed she felt a little better. Her head wasn't pounding much anymore and her dizziness was gone even though the lights were still on. Swinging her heavy legs out of bed she jumped at the sound of the front door creaking open but relaxed when she recognized the familiar bounce of strawberry blonde curls.

"Hey B." Lydia greeted affectionately, tiptoeing through the door as she set the grocery bags on the kitchen table. She moved a chair,stood on it and unscrewed one light bulb from the overhead ceiling fan gracefully in one fell swoop.

Braeden didn't get the chance to ask her why she was here before she answered in true Lydia fashion. "Derek called me during my study period and since I have a perfect 5.0GPA despite my erratic extra-curricular schedule of banshee duties, I figured I could skip it and sublimate by taking a trip to China Town Market instead." She finished beaming with pride,placing the bulb next to the bags.

Braeden gave her a questioning look and pulled her robe a little tighter. Confusion still marring her tired face.

Lydia rolled her green eyes. "You know, for those extremely hard to find soy sauce crackers you love so much." She said playfully, pulling out a chair for Braeden.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did. I know it's the only thing you can keep down."

And she was right,everything Braeden tried to consume over the past month eventually made a reappearance which is what she always had such a hard time explaining to Derek, who forced her to eat daily.

Derek, who called Lydia, who went to the market for crackers he couldn't find in the local grocery store. Derek, who phoned the only person that could rationalize the importance of nutrition to Braeden without frustrating her. Derek Hale, the werewolf, who was much smarter than he let on.

It was all starting to make sense.

"Well, Thank you." Braeden yawned even though she tried to stifle it. She was still tired but happy that Lydia was here for company. They'd had a rocky start as reluctant acquaintances but now they were pretty close, very close actually, and they both fully understood that no one could ever take Allison Argent's place. Lydia never requested it. Braeden never tried.

"How was school?" she inquired, wiping her eyes watching the banshee unpack and shelve the boxes of crackers and bottles of ginger ale from the bags, expertly gliding around the kitchen like it was an ice rink.

"Nothing terribly supernatural happened, if that's what you mean." She closed a cabinet.

"It was actually a quiet day in Beacon Hills." Lydia went on, pouring soda into a glass. "Probably won't last though, knowing our reputation." she said with a hint of sarcasm, putting the soda away and closing the refrigerator door.

"Sounds…boring." Braeden countered, amused that Lydia was so comfortable in Derek's kitchen. But with the amount of late night cooking experiments these two had conducted,failed attempts that turned into memories that became inside jokes,in this very space. It made perfect sense.

With glass in hand, Lydia sat down across from Braeden. "It was." She laughed sliding her the cup of ginger ale. "But the real question is how are you feeling?"

For a second she contemplated lying but knew that her friend could read her like a book. She hadn't looked in the mirror all day but could probably guess that she looked about as good as she felt. Terrible.

Breaden took a sip before answering, letting the crisp liquid find her voice for her. She told Lydia what happened that morning and listened as the green-eyed beauty queen lectured her about making a doctor's appointment.

" I know! I know! I'm going tomorrow." she confessed, rolling her sunken brown eyes. She really didn't want to go. She had a feeling they were going to tell her the one thing she didn't want to hear.

"Good, because you already know what I think." Lydia sing-songed, her big green eyes boring into dark chestnut orbs while a slow secret smile played at the corners of her flawlessly glossed lips.

"Lydia, don't start." Braeden warned, staring her head-on.

"I'm just saying all the signs are there!" she quipped throwing up her arms in the air, her earlier smile vanishing.

"No. They aren't! " Braeden argued, growing frustrated.

"Let's see…" Lydia started counting her perfectly manicured fingers "for starters there's the constant nausea and dizziness…"

"Lydia."

"the severe migraines and extreme fatigue…"

"Lydia stop."

"and last the sore-"

"Lydia! STOP!" Braeden barked at her, slamming the glass on the table sending rivulets of liquid down the cup.

As soon as she did it, she regretted it.

Lydia sat back,crossed her arms and sighed. She knew Braeden didn't want to think about this, let alone talk about it but as her best friend Lydia knew she needed to be the one to say it. However, as she looked across the table and saw Braeden's resolve crumbling, she started to think better of her direct approach.

Deep down, Braeden knew Lydia was right. All the symptoms were in line with a diagnosis she wasn't ready to receive. She didn't know if she could handle the news. More importantly, she didn't know if her relationship with Derek could handle the news. Regardless of her thoughts though, Lydia was just trying to help and didn't deserve to be yelled at.

They stared at each other for while, silently wishing they could redo this conversation.

"I'm sorry." they simultaneously admitted to each other. Braeden flashed an empathetic smile.

Their instant laughter broke the silence and Lydia reached for Braeden's hand.

"B, I know you're scared" Braeden looked down scrutinizing the shine on the stainless steel table. "but just remember that you're a badass mercenary with a werewolf for a boyfriend. You can handle more than most. You're not alone. You have Derek…and me."

Braeden turned her gaze toward Lydia, who was smiling at her in a way that could bring color back to Braeden's pale balmy skin.

She squeezed Lydia's hand in quiet response and fought back the sudden wave of tears in her eyes.

"You hungry?" Lydia said pulling her hand away, standing. "How about soy crackers? I hear they're pretty good." she winked.

Braeden wasn't the least bit in the mood but for Lydia she would try.

"Sure."

* * *

Derek and Scott were meeting for the third time this week at Viniccio's Pizzaria to talk defense strategies for a particular evil they knew they would have to battle in the coming weeks. One that, for now, was between only the werewolves of Beacon Hills. These casual meet ups started with them choosing their favorite booth in the back by the kitchen door so Scott could watch the pizzas being made. They ordered the same two pies they always did and made sure that they never changed their drink choices. It was business as usual until the conversation took a left turn into personal territory. Scott asked if everything was ok with him &amp; Braeden and Derek had never lied to him before. He wasn't going to start now.

Letting the straw fall into the cup, Scott asked while making bubbles into the glass. "What do you mean she's acting weird? Weird how?"

Ignoring the splashes of root beer on the table from Scott's cup,Derek picked up a slice of pizza to distract him from the sticky mess before him. "She's been sick a lot lately." he answered succinctly,folding the slice in half.

"And that's weird?" asked the occupied werewolf whose blowing now appeared less effectual before fizzling out completely.

Scott frowned, took a breath, inhaled again and continued playing in his soda glass.

"For her." Derek said with finality, taking a huge bite of pizza. He wiped his sauce covered lips with a napkin and noticed that the sound of bubbles popping furiously across from him was gone. He looked over to find that Scott was staring intently, seemingly considering his words.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. I don't think she knows."

Derek passed Scott a hand full of napkins and watched as he cleaned the root beer pool on the table, admitting he was bored.

"Well that's what happens after you eat an entire pizza in five minutes. You have to sit and talk the rest of the time." Derek teased with a straight face in a way that only he could pull off. "Now, we need to figure out what we're going to do about the Death Dwellers." he finished sliding away his plate. "We need a plan."

* * *

Beacon Hills Hospital was just how Braeden remembered it, choke full of cold sterility. Not a color outside of white to be found inside its walls. The air smelled of antibacterial and sanitizer. There was furniture here that hurt more than the afflictions patients needed treatment for and smiles on the faces of every nurse that were faker than artificial snow. Every nurse except for Melissa DelGato McCall.

"Hi, Braeden." She said picking up a clipboard. "What brings you in today?" she inquired with a bright smile.

"I haven't been feeling too well." Braeden reported, sliding onto the examination table. The parchment dressing underneath her crinkling from the disturbance.

"For how long?" the concerned nurse probed.

"About a month now, I guess."

Melissa shot her a questioning look but continued with her assessment. "Describe your symptoms for me."

"There are a lot. To be honest, I don't even know where to start." Braeden explained running a hand over her face.

"You said you've been experiencing these symptoms for a month?"

Braeden nodded. She watched Melissa pluck a pen from her shirt pocket and write on the sheet in front of her. "Has this been constant or off-and-on?" she continued without leaving the clipboard.

"Pretty constant."

"Ok. I'm going to read some off particular symptoms and you just tell me if you've experienced them. How does that sound? Good?"

"Yes."

"Nausea?" Braeden nodded. Melissa checked it off the list.

"Sore throat?" Another click of the pen.

"Heightened sensitivity to light and sound?" The song of ink and paper continued.

"Extreme fatigue?" "Decrease in appetite?" "Sore or enlarged breasts?"

As she proceeded down the list Braeden was helpless to deny that she had, indeed suffered from every single symptom on the page. The list got longer but here answers never changed. They were always a resounding yes. The more she said it, the greater her anxiety toward a certain diagnosis increased.

If Braeden ever wished there was a time she could evaporate from life completely to avoid everything- it was right now.

Melissa was still asking questions in the background but her voice was muffled against all the thoughts in the forefront of Braeden's mind. She was scared of getting an answer, angry that she would probably get the one she didn't want, terrified of explaining her situation to anyone, disappointed that she was in this situation at all. She had only two choices, to grow up or shut up.

Having made her decision, Braeden removed her jacket when Melissa requested it to take her blood pressure. The needle in her arm next didn't bother her as much as the needling question about her future.

After the doting nurse capped the vial of B Positive, she urged Braeden to indicate where most of her discomfort was located and she quickly planted a firm hand on her stomach.

"Okay. Well let's take a look, shall we? I need you to lie back and raise your shirt."

Braeden did as instructed and watched as Melissa unveiled a bulky rolling machine with a wand attachment from the small room closet. Turning on the monitor, she reached underneath taking out latex gloves and a tube of lubricant before giving her attention back to her patient. "This is going to be cold but it will help us see what's going on in there." the nurse informed before slathering the gel on her lower abdomen.

Braeden cringed past the shock and watched the screen as Melissa placed the wand on her skin moving it slowly along the seam of her jeans for a while before stopping.

"Ahh. I think I found your problem." Melissa announced, pointing to the image on the monitor,smiling. "Congratulations Braeden, you're p-"

"Don't." she pleaded. "Don't say it please."

Forming her lips into a thin line, Melissa curtly nodded and granted her request. Turning her gaze back to the machine, she turned it off removed the wand from Braeden's belly and stated. "I'm going to clean this up and then the doctor will be in to speak to you in a moment, okay?"

"Thank you." she replied gratefully, pulling down her tank top.

"You're welcome." Melissa smiled on her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.

This was exactly what Braeden was afraid of, the very instance of her fear had just happened. Going to see a doctor didn't help like Derek said it would. It had the opposite effect. Her carefree days now gone, she needed to sort some things out. Walking to the car outside of the hospital, Braeden had the overwhelming impulse to seek advice. She needed to talk to her best friend.

Unlocking the car door, she slipped in and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed one character and stuck the keys in the ignition while it rang. As of right now, Braeden wasn't sure of much but what she did know was that Lydia Martin was too smart for her own good.

"Hey!" she answered.

"You were right." Braeden huffed defeatedly into the receiver, buckling her seatbelt. It took a full minute before Lydia responded.

"Come over. I'll see you when you get here."

"On my way."

After she hung up the phone, Braeden sat in the driver's seat of Derek's jeep staring off into the distance, trying to grasp how her life had just changed. The only thought in her mind was that things would never be the same between her &amp; Derek again.

* * *

The echoing doorbell at the sprawling residence rang twice before it was answered by someone in a purple silk pajama set, hair in a messy top bun and a pencil in the crevice of their ear. "Hey,come in." Lydia stepped aside letting Braeden walk through.

"I actually thought you'd be here earlier. You called two hours ago." she said locking the door, taking Braeden's leather jacket.

"I could come back if you're busy." the young woman hesitated, self-consciously covering her stomach.

"Stop it. I finished my research paper on Chemically Inclined Molecular Influxes thirty minutes after we talked and thought I'd learn another language." She gestured to the book on the coffee table Braeden hadn't noticed until now. "Sanskrit." Lydia nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "Never know when it might be useful." She smiled.

Lydia outstretched outstretched her hand and Braeden took it while they ascended the stairs to her bedroom.

"Alright,sit and spill." Lydia patted the spot next to her. "Tell me everything and start from beginning. "

So that's exactly what Braeden did and by the time she was finished, she realized she was shaking. Her skin felt flushed and her hands clammy as she thought about her werewolf boyfriend and whether or not their relationship could survive the end of the day.

"What am I gonna tell him?" she stammered, staring off into the distance.

"Tell him that you're pregnant." Lydia answered matter-of-factly, placing a pale hand over Braeden's.

"I'm think I'm gonna wait." she countered.

"For what? The child to pop out and start calling him Daddy? I think that the dumbest decision you've ever made for three reasons. 1) Derek deserves to know 2) You're only contemplating not telling him because you're scared of his reaction but 3) You have no way of knowing how he'll react unless you tell him. So tell him,Braeden."

Braeden chocked back her tears at the cutting truth behind those words. Lydia knew her like the back of her hand. She was in deep trouble if she thought she could squirrel away from Lydia Martin's scope of intelligence. As she laid her head on her best friend's sturdy shoulder, she was grateful that she didn't have to say it out loud. That there was someone in her life who loved her enough to speak them when they were too uncomfortable for her. Too heartbreaking, too devastating.

As they sat on her bed,Lydia stroked her hair and rubbed her shoulder and Braeden desperately wished that someone could tell those dreaded words to Derek,for her.

* * *

"Where have you been?" was the greeting that met her at the door of Derek's loft. He gave her a chaste kiss and returned to his previous activity. "I didn't know you left."

She dropped the keys on the table and shrugged out of her jacket as she replied. "Yeah. I decided to go see the doctor today instead of tomorrow."

Derek abandoned the blueprints on his desk and devoted his attention to his girlfriend. "What did he say?"

Leisurely taking off her left boot, she replied. "He gave me an answer." and easily dislodged the other shoe.

"What was the answer?"

Derek continued to look fixedly at Braeden, following her gait as she came closer to him. He crossed his arms, calmly standing in the middle of his living room and waited for her to get within reaching distance.

Circling her outstanding anatomy in his strong arms when she was less than four feet away, he asked once more. "What was the answer, Brae?"

Derek's face was dangerously close to hers and she could feel every inch of him as he wrapped her in his arms. Every one of his slight growls of satisfaction reverberated right through her chest. The longer they made heated eye contact, the more the temperature rose in the room. Derek could feel it to by the smug look on his face and the dark glint in his eyes. He knew what he was doing.

Braeden knew that if she stood there with him, like that anymore they would end up doing what got her into this mess. She couldn't lose focus. It was now or never she thought as she took a shuddering breath to compose herself and broke his embrace.

This was it.

With trembling hands,she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a small square piece of paper. She flipped it over clumsily, running a shaky thumb across the image before nervously handing it to Derek.

Derek Hale had seen a lot of unexplainable things in his life and he prided himself on his repose when it pertained to deciphering the answers he needed but looking at what lie in his hands, he could feel the confusion ebb into anxiety. He was freaking out. He couldn't tell what he was supposed to see and the longer he stared at the grainy, black and white photo the more his panic rose in his throat. A throng of questions forming in his mind.

After seconds of silently observing Derek's unreadable expression, Braeden reluctantly swallowed down the fact that she was petrified he hadn't responded. She stared back at the picture and then at Derek.

Closing her eyes and pushing a strand of her dark curls behind her ear, she took a step closer to him on legs quaking legs she was surprised she was even able to move. Her slender chestnut fingers reached around his hand and pointed to a gray dot in the center of the photo.

"That's um- that's reason I've been" a pause "uh harder to live with lately." she explained keeping her eyes glued to the photo.

Derek looked up from the picture, hazel glow in his orbs barely visible against the harsh squint caused by his utter bewilderment.

"What is this Braeden? What am I looking at?"

"Your baby."

He had to grip the photo tighter to makes sure he was holding it as his eyebrows dissolved into his forehead, his vision blurred for a couple of seconds and the room started to spin. "My ba-"

"Yes. Baby."

His eyes broke away from the picture and he looked at his girlfriend. Actually saw her for the first time that day.

He noticed her standing in the room and began to see her in a different light. Scanning his view up and down her hourglass frame, he could tell certain things were different about her. The curve of her jeans were deeper, hips wider to house a more round ass. The skin flirting with his eyes underneath her tank top had returned to it's normal warm hue and the swell of her chest was bigger than he'd remembered. They were huge to be honest and he quietly berated himself for not paying closer attention to all of this before.

Before she told she was pregnant.

Before he saw his child for the first time.

Breaden weakly smiled at him and it was then that he realized, he had been standing there speechless, absorbed in his own thoughts for a while. Returning her smile with a shaky one of his own, he finally spoke.

"You're pregnant?" It was more of a statement than a question he was willing himself to believe. He peered down at the picture in his hands again before she could answer.

"You're pregnant?" Derek said again, a little more convinced this time.

He turned away from her,his attention rapt on the image, the muscles in his back protruding through his tight shirt. Braeden held her breath, waiting for the explosion. The part where he yelled so loud his eyes shifted and he'd ultimately accuse her of trapping him with an unwanted addition. Who knows maybe she could do this on her own, she convinced herself silently, anticipating a bitter end to a sweet partnership. She would have to pick up the pieces herself but she could carry the baby in her other arm.

Breaking her thoughts, Derek did something that completely floored Braeden. He swung around seemingly floated on air towards her wearing a smile that rivaled every sun in the universe. He gazed at her so longingly that she had to squelch the wave of pure love stirring inside her.

With unshed tears in his eyes, he cupped her face. "We're having a baby." Derek whispered in awe.

She smiled a watery smile and nodded, wiping her sweaty palms nervously on her jeans.

"We are having a baby, but.."

"but what?" he let go of her instantly face and took a step back.

He had a feeling he wasn't ready for anything that came after what Braeden had to say next. Derek found that he was excited about the news but by the sound of her voice she was anything but.

"Braeden?" Derek pressed, keeping his searing gaze on her as he bent to pick up the photo that slipped out of his hands. "Why do I get the feeling you have something else to tell me?"

"Because I do." he watched in silence as a tear slipped from her eye and she reached for the picture. His first instinct was to pull it out of her hands, tell her that portrait had his kid in it, his child. But then he remembered,this was her baby too.

He relaxed as much as he could in the moment and resisted the urge to wipe away her was an emptiness in his hands where the similitude of a new life used to be. Derek hoped his worst fear hadn't happened, that Braeden had not decided to take away his opportunity to have a family before he was aware they had one. He didn't consciously think that Braeden was the type of woman to do that, but the still chill in the air by her delayed response did little to debunk his suspicions.

She stood there, tears streaming down her smooth complexion, mouth searching for the perfect way to tell him the news. Everytime she tried, the little voice in the back of her head would scream that Derek wasn't going to react well to it. The other voice that sounded a lot like Lydia, telling her that she didn't know unless she told him everything could barely be heard above the frantic beating of her heart.

Taking a deep breath, she mumbled. "We'rehavingababybutthere'smoreit'stwins." Breaden exhaled in one short breathe.

"What?" Derek scrunched his features, straining to hear her. "Brae." He closed the gap between them and titled her chin up with his finger. "What did you say?"

Closing her eyes she repeated softly. "I said" a pause. "We're having a baby but there's more…there are uh..we're not just having one baby."

"Wh-what?"

Braeden opened her shining eyes only to have them penetrated by the unparalleled light in Derek's. His face was full of pure astonishment. She wasn't sure if he actually heard anything she just told him, so she said it again.

"We're not having just one baby Derek, we're having twins."

Derek flew at her so fast she would have been knocked on her ass if he wasn't cupping it so tightly. Braeden wrapped her legs around his waist and looped her hands around his neck as she spun her around. He put her down and kissed her so gently her insides melted from his affection.

"So you're not upset?" She asked huskily when she could see straight again. Derek cupped her round face, wiped her tears with his thumbs and poured every emotion he owned into his answering kiss.

"Why would I be upset with the woman who is giving me a family?" he declared, taking his time with each word.

"I just thought th-"

"Shh" he slid his left hand to her waist "we're having a baby Braeden" placed his heavy palm to her stomach. "two of them." and kissed her forehead.

"Two babies." He repeated.

She smiled and nodded. "Two babies."

"Thank you." his said leaning in,eyes starting to cloud with unshed tears. "Brae, thank you for giving me this." he took the sonogram out of her hands and shook it in the air. "Them."

All the words in the world couldn't be more perfect than this moment so she didn't say anything for fear that she would ruin it, she just fell into his open arms and stood with him in the middle of his living room until he released her. He kissed her nose and she giggled.

"I love you."

"I love you." Braeden insisted, musing as she rubbed his arms reveling in the way they responded to her touch.

"And I love you guys too." He said crouching down on his knees, kissing her flat stomach.

Braeden looked skyward to keep her tears at bay as Derek continued talking to her belly.

"Hey guys, I'm your dad and I can't wait to meet you. For a long time I was wishing for you and didn't even know it until your mom showed me your picture." He beamed up at Braeden,who put her hands on his shoulders. "Your mom is the best in the entire world. She's beautiful,smart and stronger than me in so many ways it still surprises me that she was ever attracted to a guy like me. She's one of a kind. We're lucky to have her."

Derek squeezed her hips gently and let a tear slip when she mouthed she loved him without a hint of regret. Her nimble fingers found his hair as he caressed her tummy,showering his family with the softest kisses he could give. Raising up her shirt, the proud father placed his head gently on her stomach.

"You guys have no idea how much she's gone through for you so take it easy on her in there, ok? Try not to make her miserable or she will make me miserable." Braeden rolled her eyes. "She loves you. And I love you. And we want to protect you guys because we do so stay in there and grow for as long as you can. Be brave and determined like you mother, kind like your Aunt Laura and wise like your grandmother. Pfft,I don't even know if you can hear me yet but I have to tell you that you're the best things that have ever happened to me and you always will be. We're a family. We're Hales. We're in this together." he pecked Braeden's supple skin one last time before replacing her shirt.

Derek stood up and melted into the kiss his girlfriend met him with. It was full of everything she wanted to say and even things she didn't have to. She ravaged his mouth like she would die without it and he returned the favor with equal fervor, almost bruising her lips with his passion. He stopped when she needed air. She was panting and perfect just the way he loved her. Picking her up bridal style, he sauntered over to the bed holding his most prized possessions in his arms. Derek pulled back the blankets and slid both of them in between.

"We're having twins." he murmured excitedly, spooning Braeden from behind. She didn't have to turn around to know that a grin was currently eating his face. He was going to be a dad, she was going to be a mom to two babies who would be perfect blends of both. Derek kissed her temple and held her.

"Ours." he heard Braeden whisper contentedly as she slipped into a much needed slumber. He watched her sleeping peacefully is his arms, their contrasting skin tones seeming indistinguishable as he rubbed protective circles over his growing family. He never knew how much he loved her until this moment and he would gladly spend the rest of his life making sure he cherished her. This was the mother of his unborn children and he couldn't have picked a better one. All his earlier relationships had failed because he was created for someone like her. And secretly he hoped that pretty soon he would get to hold two tinier versions of her in his arms,happy and healthy,as he pushed a stray strand of curly dark brown hair out of her face. She scrunched her nose and kept dreaming.

Eventually,Derek fell asleep listening to the rhythmic thud of Braeden's heartbeat, waiting for the day when he could finally hear two more.

Draeden babies! Woo-woop! Can you imagine Braeden with a big belly? Me and my feels can! What did you guys think? Did you like it? Review so I don't feel like a failure. Til next time loves!


	2. Who Am I Now (The Daddy Diaries)

Wednesday 2:51 AM

I can't sleep in the bed anymore. It is overridden with two enormous body pillows that are larger than I am put together and she seems to like them more anyway. These days every time I'm next to her, she complains about my skin being too hot when we cuddle or my breathing keeping her awake when her tossing and turning finally allows me to close my eyes.

I honestly feel like she hates the sight of me. She never lets me touch her or hold her for more than a couple of minutes at a time. She never believes me when I tell her that she is incredibly sexy pregnant. She just sighs and rolls her eyes. I can't remember the last time we have had sex and I have actually been able to see her face. She says it's a matter of it being more comfortable for her to have her back to me but there's a part of me that knows she doesn't want to see me. And Braeden never does anything she doesn't want to do.

Right now, she doesn't want me in our bed so I hop out and let the pillows take my place as they normally do. My designated spot to slumber has been the same for the last three months.

I keep an extra blanket close to the cushions on the ottoman because I know I will end up there at night.

Never fails.

Wednesday 4:00 AM

She's not asleep. She's tossing and turning again, pressing further into the mattress to find relief but it's not working. The strangled moans signal that she's having a hard time breathing laying down. The babies are so healthy that they constrict her airway when she does. Melissa told her not to even attempt a supine position so late in her pregnancy but Braeden doesn't listen and this is the result.

Me,on the couch night after night, keeping a vigilant ear out for when she starts to wheeze. Then I trudge over, kiss her awake and pull the massaging contoured back support wedge pillow she hates and tries to hide daily, from under the bed where she always hides it. She whines about it but I kiss her again and it's over. I press the on button and let it work its magic.

Between Baby A who I call Slash because it has the kicks and punches down to a forceful science and Baby B, Lightening, who moves inside of her stomach so fast and excitedly that she is jerked in the direction that it launched itself, it's insane. These tiny humans are taking her body for a ride and she is stretched to the limit in every way.

I will never be able to thank her for what she's doing.

She stops wheezing and drifts off.

I drift into the half sleep I always have here on the couch. The same sleep that will continue until Slash &amp; Lightening get here.

Thursday

Braeden stays in bed all day saying the pressure in her lower body is uncomfortable. Her ankles are severely swollen, her hands too and she can't get her back to stop aching since Slash &amp; Lightening refuse to keep their feet and fists to themselves.

I spend the day running back and forth between helping Scott and Melissa move into their new house across town and calling Lydia to make sure she's there and that the three most important people in my life are taken care of. Every time I ask, she tells me that Braeden has been in the same spot for hours watching a Scandal marathon on television. When I asks to speak to her, Lydia gets a couple handfuls of popcorn thrown at her for interrupting a "Papa Pope" speech on my behalf. I can hear her yelling at Lydia to get off the damn phone and I have to admit it makes me smile to hear her a little more like the Braeden I knew before still irritable but for the right reasons.

When I get home that night, I find Lydia and Braeden cuddled together in my bed. The girls are slumped on each other resting peacefully snoring loud enough to drown out some bearded guy rocking in the corner of an office building repeating the number 752. Braeden's chunky legs extend atop the comforter and her protruding belly is exposed beneath her purple camisole. She can rip the nails off of a board with the snores coming from her lungs. Lydia is right behind her strawberry hair covering her face , one hand in the popcorn bowl as the other drapes sweetly across Braeden's tummy, her right leg tangles over the mother to be. Braeden has her hand in the bowl too, a greasy now empty bowl. They look so comfortable I dont' have the heart to wake them so I carefully slip the bowl from between them, cover them up and retreat upstairs to work on baby proofing the nursery.

When I come down, Lydia is gone. Her spare key isn't so I know she will swing by again soon. For someone so smart, she is always forgetting that thing.

Saturday 8:15 AM

Slash keeps punching Braeden's kidneys which means that our shopping trip has taken three hours when it normally would've taken one. I guess Lightening is sleeping because she hasn't said anything about feeling the usual rapid movement that comes from the two of them being awake at the same time. But she's in the bathroom again and I'm stuck with a cart full of baby stuff standing outside the lavatory desperately trying to avoid the gawking stares of passing Mommies with bulging bellies and wicked eyes. I know they want to know who I belong to. I should be used to it by now but every time I see a woman undress me it makes me cringe internally, until Braeden came along.

Braeden, the love of my life who insists that we buy printed napkins instead of plain ones, tosses three extra bags of chips and a bottle of Perrier in the shopping basket saying that it is Lydia's favorite while she volleyes between french onion sandwich rolls or regular sesame seed buns for the hamburgers. When I tell her it doesn't matter, she yells and tells me Im not helping.

That Braeden.

The mother of my unborn children Braeden, who makes me stand by a cart full of disposable breastfeeding bra cup thingys, car seat cooling liners, countless boxes of padsicles, something called a belly bandit, a twin Z nursing dock, and enough tubes of nipple cream to last us six months easily. I can't be more ready to get the hell out of here.

The guy next to me has some of the same stuff in his basket and the same look on his face. He gets it. I just wonder if he's expecting twice the work like we are.

Saturday 2:30 PM

We hang around the house for the rest of the day, everyone is here. Scott and Stiles are upstairs in the guest bedroom playing video games and Melissa is helping Lydia make lunch. The Sheriff is sitting on the couch cheating at the card game we're playing. Peter texted a while ago, saying he is on his way and bringing his new girlfriend.

It's a nice way to spend the weekend and all of us are secretly hoping that the babies will show up today but no one says anything. Everyone wants to be here when it happens so we each take turns keeping tabs on Braeden for signs that today is the day.

Scott and Stiles pause their game and watch from the window as she waddles to the mailbox outside.

Lydia meets her at the door to the building and walks her in.

Melissa leaves the burgers on the stovetop grill and locks the door behind them, taking the mail from Brae exchanging it for a glass of water.

The Sheriff and I, spare glances at her in between dealing and shuffling cards. Between the two of us, we always know where she is.

Braeden is oblivious, pulling at the fabric of her dress all day, frustrated with the way it hangs from her baby bump. If you ask me, she looks amazing in peach or persimmon or whatever she says that color is. I like it, it makea all three of them glow.

She sets the banquet table in the open kitchen and sits down, rolling silverware. Her and Melissa talk about Olivia Pope and a guy named after that writer who penned The Great Gatsby. Lydia is pulling an apple pie and a bundt cake out of the oven, settling them next to the cookies and cupcakes on the counter, joining in the conversation. All of them giggle uncontrollably and I wish we all had more days like this. Easy, carefree, comfortable ones where nothing disastrous happens.

I take a swig of beer and play my card. The Sheriff is losing terribly but he won't admit it, this is our sixth rematch. The boys race down the stairs when they smell the baked goods and Melissa sends them out saying lunch will be ready in two minutes so no they can't just eat cookies upstairs. Braeden laughs and I laugh too.

That will be our life soon, managing two kids who will probably crave sugar from the moment they're born thanks to their mother.

Lydia strolls over and slides a full plate in front of Braeden. When she just stares at the cheeseburger, roasted vegetables, french fries and garden salad, Lydia leans down and whispers in her ear. Braeden giggles and makes a big show of rubbing her big belly. Lydia rolls her eyes, picks up the plate and disappears only to return with two chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. It's the first time I've seen Braeden smile that carefree smile all day. She's so beautiful I can't stop staring at her.

The relationship she has with her best friend is so beautiful and genuine I'm so happy they found each other. They don't say it often but they don't have to, from my spot on the couch even I can clearly see how in tune they are to each other. There are things Braeden never tells me that Lydia knows and I'm willing to bet all the money I have riding on the Cyclones game this week that Braeden is wobbling around here with all of Lydia's secrets too.

Sunday 7:58 PM

The Cyclones lost and I pay Paul $150 bucks while he drones on about how I cheat at poker. He says that I can't make a bet to save my life. I mentioned how great Stiles was playing tonight and he waves me off though I can see how proud he is underneath it. He wants a rematch next week. He's bringing a six pack he said stuffing my money in the pocket of his uniform.

Monday 9:00 AM

We are late because I overslept. She barely eats her breakfast and has been snacking all morning. We take one last look around our designated birthing room at Beacon Hills Wellness Center and leave. Braeden's excited that she won't deliver in a hospital. I'm scared that if something goes wrong, there isn't a hospital close enough to get to.

I forget my concerns when she wraps her fingers around mine and tells me it's going to be fun.

Monday 1:15 PM

Lydia, Braeden and Melissa are taking a day trip to see Braeden's mom in Oceanside whose bedridden with acute pneumonia. Lydia won't let Braeden go alone and Melissa needs to get away from Scott, who is on vacation from school this week. They don't come back until later and even though she isn't gone the entire day I still miss her. I miss them.

Melissa pulls me aside and tells me to watch Braeden because she was a bit restless during the entire car ride, complaining of intense back pain and building pressure. I know that is code for Braxton Hicks contractions, read it in that What To Expect book Scott bought for me. She says that she will be just a call away if we need her tonight. I know she is telling the truth. She has been available to us both day and night since we decided to make her our doula for the birth.

Braeden hates hospitals and I don't trust doctors. It was an inevitable question and Melissa McCall was the perfect answer.

Tuesday

I don't see much of Braeden, Slash or Lightening this morning because I slip out while they are still sleeping. The Sheriff has some cases that need my kind of expertise and since Braeden forbid me from putting myself in danger on cases like these and also eating pizza, I don't tell her where I'm going.

When I call around lunchtime to check on her, she answers on the first ring but she sounds weird and out of breath. I worry even though she tells me not to. She is too busy drilling me about where I am and I am too busy trying to lie my way out of the situation to notice that she is deflecting.

Two hours later, she calls and says that she doesn't feel good. I ask her where it hurts and it takes her a minute to reply. I think she has hung up until she finally speaks again and her voice is slowly trying to swallow all the air in the room as she answers me. I know then that she was holding her breath to stop the flow of pain through her body.

I rush home to find her in the bathroom on the toilet, gripping the sides of the seat so forcefully that her knuckles are pale. Her eyes are screwed tight. I can smell the anxiety and the faint aroma of iron coming off her in waves as I came closer to her. It is streaming down her thigh, a small rivulet coursing down her thick legs. I immediately drop to on my knees and before I know what I'm doing I slide her socks off her swollen feet. She keeps her eyes shut and lets me. I'm grateful that she has the foresight to only wear dresses this late in the pregnancy as I shimmy her panties the rest of the way down her legs. I take them in my hands and survey them, there is a little blood pooled in the crotch.

After I help clean Braeden up, I dial Melissa and she says that spotting before water breakage in a multiple pregnancy is normal. I don't remember reading that yet in What To Expect but I don't say anything just follow orders to let her body do what it needes to.

Braeden stays in the bathroom until she felt stable enough to move from her spot. Even then, I carry her to bed and replace her nightgown while ignoring her protests that she is capable of at least dressing herself. I sit by the bed on the floor and rub her belly until she falls asleep.

Early Wednesday Morning

She wakes me up by shoving me. Her water has broken and the liquid is soaking the sheets, I jump up from the floor and help her out of bed. She doesn't seem scared or panicked like I am, but the opposite as she pulls the sheets from the mattress with a jerk and throws them forcefully in our hamper. Braeden walks slowly to the dresser in the corner and complains about having to change clothes for the tenth time in 24 hours.

Also Early Wednesday Morning

I call Lydia, Melissa and Cora and 2 out of the 3 pick up the phone. I leave my sister a voicemail and hope she calls me back later. Better, I pray she makes it here in time.

Wednesday Afternoon

The first real contraction hits Braeden as she is bending over to grab the birthbag on our way out the door to Beacon Hills Wellness Center. The straps slip from her chubby fingers and her knees punt forward, she winces and I'm there with my arms around her stomach supporting her. Little do I know, this was only the beginning of what contractions have to offer the both of us.

I grab the diaper bag and swipe the keys in one motion, forgetting to lock the sliding door behind me. I make sure my hands never leave Braeden's hips as we make our journey towards the jeep. I don't obey the speed limit.

Lydia meets us there in the parking lot minutes later with her own duffel bag, one that looks a lot like the one I put my extra gym clothes in, Braden's spare body pillow and my video camera. All of which I forgot at home in my panic to get Braeden here quickly. For someone so smart, I'm glad she remembers the big things and forgets the small ones.

We all stare at each other, knowing it's going to be a long night and that the next time we stand in this parking lot things will be different. Lydia will be a godmother, Braeden and I will be parents to two perfect combinations of us both for the rest of our lives.

I take one of Braeden's hands and Lydia holds the other while I slip the camera from her grasp.

We all walk in together. 


End file.
